The rain-rescheduled 16s and 18s divisions for the 71st USTA Florida “Bobby Curtis” Junior State Doubles Championships will take place this weekend, Oct. 5-7, 2019, at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
Both divisions will be contested on hard courts, but the surface could change due to participation numbers, weather or other schedule issues.
The impressive player field is headed by last year’s girls’ 18s winners Ayshe Can and Karly Friedland, who will try to become the first team in the recorded history of the 71-year tournament to win back-to-back girls’ 18s titles. They will attempt to cement their legacy at the top USTA section event and join past “Bobby Doubles” champions such as former world No. 1 Andy Roddick and current WTA tour rising star Danielle Collins.
Other 2018 returning champions switching partners are girls’ 16s champ Brooke Dugarte (Miami) partnering with Valeria Centeno (Hialeah), boys’ 16s champ Benjamin Zipay (Osprey) with Christopher Mendivil (Jupiter), and mixed 16s champ D.J. Bennett (Belleview) with former Bobby Singles winner Alexis Blokhina.
Players can record their matches this year by using the Playsight QR Codes located near the benches on each court. For additional info players can check out the event page here.
A Photo/Video Contest for players entered in the tournament will also be held from Sept. 28-Oct. 6 with the winner receiving a $100 Amazon gift card. Players can share their experience getting ready for and participating in the 2019 “Bobby Curtis” Junior State Doubles Championships on Instagram using the hashtag #BobbyCurtis. To find out more click here.
The tournament is annually a launching pad for future college stars and pros.
Former “Bobby Curtis” State Doubles winners include two-time NCAA champ and current WTA pro Danielle Collins (18s-2010, Mixed 12s-2005), former WTA doubles world No. 1-ranked and Wimbledon winner Corina Morariu (16s-1992, 14s-1991) and former ATP players Andy Roddick (12s-1994) and Wayne Odesnik (14s-1999).
Former world No. 1s Chris Evert, Andy Roddick and Jim Courier are among the players that have raised trophies in singles at the tournament, previously known as the USTA Florida Jr. State Closed. Florida’s top junior event was renamed to honor the legendary Florida junior tennis organizer Bobby Curtis in 2012.
For draws, seeding and complete tournament info, click here to visit the tournament TennisLink site.
